Contaminants in the Canadian Arctic : 5 years of progress in understanding sources, occurrence and pathways.

• Published in: Science of The Total Environment
• Main Authors: Macdonald, R. W., Barrie, L. A., Bidleman, T. F., Diamond, M. L., Gregor, D. J., Semkin, R. G., Strachan, W. M. J., Li, Y. F. W. F., Alaee, M., Alexeeva, L. B., Backus, S. M., Bailey, R. E., Bewers, J. M., Gobeil, C., Halsall, Crispin J., Harner, T., Hoff, J. T., Jantunen, L. M. M., Lockhart, W. L., Mackay, D., Muir, D. C. G., Pudykiewicz, J., Reimer, K. J., Smith, J. N., Stern, G. A., Schroeder, W. H., Wagemann, R., Yunker, M. B.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2000
• Subjects: Arctic; Arctic Ocean
• Online Access: https://eprints.lancs.ac.uk/id/eprint/21636/; https://doi.org/10.1016/S0048-9697(00)00434-4

Recent studies of contaminants under the Canadian Northern Contaminants Program (NCP) have substantially enhanced our understanding of the pathways by which contaminants enter Canada’s Arctic and move through terrestrial and marine ecosystems there. Building on a previous review (Barrie et al., Arctic contaminants: sources, occurrence and pathways. Sci Total Environ 1992:1–74), we highlight new knowledge developed under the NCP on the sources, occurrence and pathways of contaminants (organochlorines, Hg, Pb and Cd, PAHs, artificial radionuclides). Starting from the global scale, we examine emission histories and sources for selected contaminants focussing especially on the organochlorines. Physical and chemical properties, transport processes in the environment (e.g. winds, currents, partitioning), and models are then used to identify, understand and illustrate the connection between the contaminant sources in industrial and agricultural regions to the south and the eventual arrival of contaminants in remote regions of the Arctic. Within the Arctic, we examine how contaminants impinge on marine and terrestrial pathways and how they are subsequently either removed to sinks or remain where they can enter the biosphere. As a way to focus this synthesis on key concerns of northern residents, a number of special topics are examined including: a mass balance for HCH and toxaphene (CHBs) in the Arctic Ocean; a comparison of PCB sources within Canada’s Arctic (Dew Line Sites) with PCBs imported through long-range transport; an evaluation of concerns posed by three priority metals — Hg, Pb and Cd; an evaluation of the risks from artificial radionuclides in the ocean; a review of what is known about new-generation pesticides that are replacing the organochlorines; and a comparison of natural vs. anthropogenic sources of PAH in the Arctic. The reseArch and syntheses provide compelling evidence for close connectivity between the global emission of contaminants from industrial and agricultural activities and the Arctic. For ...